I fully agree. It went from an pretty okay sitcom about afterlife hijinx to "holy fork, everyone needs to watch this!". I watched S1 by myself at first, then again with my gf who didn't know the twist. It was like watching someone find out Darth Vader is Luke's father. Incredible
This twist was everywhere! So many of the channels I'm subscribed to kept spoiling it to me that I decided to watch it for myself. Realized after the final episode that this show is one of the best sitcoms PERIOD!!!
The twist was the culmination of a whole series worth of great writing. Ted and Kristen knew the twist from the beginning and collaborated with the writers to ensure that the foundation they laid worked with the long term storyline.
This has my favourite series finale of anything ever. Every plot line was wrapped up with no additional questions, with everything answered in a really satisfying way. I cried so much at the final episode in such a happy way.
@@katherinenotyou23 why? I believe they ended it perfectly while it wasn't super exciting it really fit with the show and in my opinion was an amazing way to end it /gen
I love this show and it's message about how being a good person isn't a finite position and that aslong as you're working on better yourself than your in the right direction. It requires a daily comment to being on. When you rewatch the show you can easily see the pieces of the twist
yh ik this is out of context but superman is my fav hero because of this context he shows how to be a good person so this show reflecting superman made me so happy and is one of my favorite shows
@@kyonru TY for that book suggestion! I had no idea Michael Shur had even made a book and I am a huge fan of The Good Place so I will definitely give it a read
I remember getting to the last episode of season 1 and thinking, "this show ran for 4 seasons? How can they drag this story out for that long? AND THEN THE TWIST I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT TO IMAGINE HAPPENED
I remember thinking something along the lines of that at the end of every season: "This was great, but how can they go on from here?" And yet they did and it was fantastic.
Same! I think the fact that it lasted for 4 seasons was perfect, and even though more would've been nice I also think more seasons would ruin the storyline/be unnecessary
@@hayleywilliamscroc True, specially when we remember that the last season gave us the message that what makes something special is the end of it, so was the show.
Looking back it's so wild that I didn't see it coming. Especially wild that the characters didn't (or at least Chidi, maybe Tahani). Like, wouldn't they think to be critical of the people at the head of the system? Isn't Chidi familiar with moral anti-realism? Why would he blindly accept such an objectively framed moral system (that condemns the vast majority of humanity to eternal torment)? I mean, he is kinda preoccupied and probably doesn't have the decisive energy to process that but it's ludicrous to me that he wouldn't even question it a little bit until Eleanor figures it out
Michael’s evil laugh in the season 1 finale after Eleanor figured out that they were in the bad place all along is the best evil laugh I have ever heard. Ted Danson’s performance during that entire scene (and honestly the entire show) deserves so many awards
This show is as perfect as television gets in my opinion. Two years after I watched it for the first time it's still a show I re-watch constantly but also never stop thinking about
Honestly, a perfect show that just got more interesting as each season was progressed. While watching the show, I was worried they were going to ruin the ending like they do most every other show I say is perfect. No biasis I think this is thee most complete show I have ever watched.
Me too! I watched it two years ago for the first time, and I still rewatch it to this day cause its so good. Its got to a point where certain things in my daily life remind me of the show lol. I think I quote the good place more than any series tbh :)
Most sitcom "friends" are horrible to each other. This sitcom, has friends that are supposed to be horrible to each other but are the the opposite by shows end. Where as other sitcoms the characters begin and end as horrible people.
You missed a small detail, at the beginning of Episode 1 after Eleanor opens her eyes we see a message on the wall that says "Welcome! Everything is fine." while in the last scene of Episode 13 the message on the wall is "Welcome! Everything is great!". So not just a different final word but also a second exclamation point has been added. I don't know the significance of this beyond it being the first indication that Michael has tweaked the experiment the second time but it's a nice subtle change.
It may have been in the podcast but I can't remember at this point. I believe it was to reflect Michael's headspace going into the second reboot. His plan for the four has been totally railroaded and while he was in risky territory before, he's on thin fucking ice now that they have seen just how unpredictable the humans can be. Basically, he knows he's a dead man/demon walking if he screws up and the new greeting hints at him overcompensating. He's trying to reassure himself and everyone else that he's got it all under control and everything is not just fine, it's "great!" Take another read of that message and see if you don't imagine it in a higher, strained register that only thinly veils sheer panic ;)
@@papergirl3851 "derailed". If the plan was railroaded then it would be still on track. But, yes, it's a brilliant little detail. There's a lot of nice details in the set dressing throughout the series.
One thing my siblings still tease me about to this day, when the reveal first happened, I didn't believe it. When Michael started laughing and insulting Eleanor and even when "Vicky" left in a huff, I thought they were pretending to be in the Bad Place to get Shawn to leave. For some reason. It took me until the S2 premiere to be fully convinced.
Michael's evil laugh aside, what cemented for most of us would be the scenes where Michael explains to the other demons how he can get 4 people to torture each other
The Good Place is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time, and even if it's not my absolute favorite, I still recognize it as practically perfect. Everything from the character's connections to each other and the audience, to the beautiful messages the writers were able to convey naturally, there's really no show like it, and there likely never will be again. This show just existing is a blessing.
Exactly well said, You wrote this more perfect than my previous comment. "Even if its not my absolute favorite" That's how I feel, the show was absolute a perfect master peice.
On Michael's "smug face and dark eyes".... one rewatch bonus in the very first episode is when he's just about to tell Eleanor she's in the Good Place, he pauses and smirks, and the smirk now comes off as so utterly malevolent that I can't believe I wasn't suspicious first time around.
Seriously Ted Danson gets hailed as a great comedic actor all the time, but he's just a great actor without adjectives. I'd love to see him do some straight dramatic work.
This show absolutely hooked me right away with its opening scene and stayed consistently good for the entire series. I honestly don't think any show has done that for me before.
I just finished watching it three days ago and I feel kinda home sick for the Good Place, if that makes sense. The whole serie felt like a warm bath to me and it's been a while that I enjoyed something so thoroughly ❤️
Michael's evil laugh was what really sold me on the twist. It was just so perfectly delivered that I immediately realised that he had been playing with them all along and this really was The Bad Place. It's a great moment in a great show.
a huge influence for the good place is called "no exit," a play written by famed existentialist philosopher jean-paul sartre. the play is about 3 characters who find themselves in hell, and at the end realize that hell is not fiery pits of lava or torture devices, but rather other people. this is basically what michael was doing in s1: using humans as each other's own hell. if you're interested in this show, I highly recommend that you read this fantastic play. after i read it, seeing its influence on the good place was a really cool thing to see.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe that play was also the basis for the Twilight Zone episode "Four Characters in Search of an Exit". I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that it was inspired by the play "No Exit".
@@cScottDI’m late but actually the title and I think the screenplay were inspired by the play “6 Characters in Search of an Author” by Luigi Pirandello performed in 1921. It’s a very interesting play! A playwright is doing rehearsal for a play he’s written, in the middle of the rehearsal 6 characters walk onto the stage (6 characters from another unfinished play he’s written) and Luigi can’t finish his current play until he finishes the story of those 6 characters
When Michael did that evil laugh, I just felt it in my stomach. I almost felt panicky about it, because I had thought Michael was so endearing and likeable, and suddenly he's a demon. On a rewatch, I found quite a few hints of it. For instance, Michael told Chidi his doctorate thesis, his life's work, was basically worthless. When Michael prepares to say what the mistake in the neighborhood is, he almost turns to Eleanor, and then turns away and says "me" instead. As we learn more about the system, there's no way they would have confused Jason with Jianyu the monk, or "real" Eleanor with "fake" Eleanor. But since we knew so little about it in season 1, it seemed more feasible.
I like how when they get to the actual good place too, they discovered that eternity stretched before them removed all meaning from having goals. So the people who were in the good place where suffering just as much as the people in the bad place if not more because in the good place they lose who they are.
i LOVE the good place. this show is honestly so special and i don’t think it gets the credit it deserves. it’s so well written, the performances are ALWAYS on point, the humor always works, the characters are insanely compelling, even characters that appear in a few episodes i still remember vividly and adore them. it’s honestly just excellent, & so so much fun to watch.
When I started watching it I was like “oh okay it’s basically gonna be Eleanor getting better and trying to hide that she doesn’t belong in new ways. I get it” and then the twist happened and I was like holy mother forking shirt balls
It's really good to see this peak of a show getting some love. It's the philosophical comedy that truly creates moments of self reflection and character connections with the audience.
When recommending The Good Place, I explain to people that it’s not a sitcom. I tell them it’s a long-form story about life, death and ethics that happens to be absurdly funny, heartfelt and genuinely heartbreaking at times.
@@Gemnist98 Yes, but I’ve found it’s helpful (when recommending it to others) to play down the sitcom descriptor because lots of people are so used to the normal sitcom formula that they can be thrown off by how Good Place’s story works. For instance, if I recommend Parks and Rec, I often tell people to skip the first “season” because the tone is way different than the rest of the show and the start of the 2nd season does a good job of establishing the setting and characters. Parks and Rec is great but much closer to a normal sitcom formula than Good Place. Whereas Good Place MUST be watched from the very start because it is 100% long-form storytelling so it had a lot of structural differences compared to often self-contained sitcom episodes.
I think it's a dramedy personally. I never saw it as a sitcom since for me sitcoms stopped being funny since The King of Queens first aired. It is equal parts drama and comedy just like MASH. The Good Place is actually funny therefore it's not a sitcom.
I honestly don't think I'm ever going to really get over this show ending. Hearing those few little notes that let us know A NEW EPISODE OF THE GOOD PLACE WAS STARTING was an honest thrill, it gave me goosebumps, I was that excited. Michael is my favorite fictional character of all time, and his moment of confirmation when we knew for sure what side he was actually on (I was so scared for you guys! You're my friends and I wanted to save you!) brought me to the verge of tears of relief. I was able to appreciate the cleverness of the big season 1 twist, but honestly it horrified me to lose the Michael I already loved. I'm not really going anywhere with this, I just like to talk about loving the Good Place.
This is one of those rare perfect shows. I laughed for four seasons, thought about lots of cool smarty pants stuff along the way, and cried buckets during the finale. That's what a show should deliver. Imagine if _LOST_ was written by people who had a complete idea and the will to execute it. Imagine if the last two seasons of _Game of Thrones_ had been written by people who _could_ write. Lots of shows come close, they show promise, but ultimately don't deliver in the final analysis. _The Good Place_ was just solid from start to finish, and I am still in awe of the achievement.
Jason! Jason figured it out? Oh, this is a real low. Ironically, Jason does kinda figure it out before Eleanor in season 1 and we just go "right Jason, you're so dumb lol"
I love how because of the next seasons being planned ahead it's so satisfying to find clues or references that were there all long that you just brush off as something irrelevant that's just there as a joke on the first viewing, only to remember that it was actually mentioned seasons before becoming relevant
Michael’s redemption arc is very organic and one of the best ever written. The best stories that subvert expectations have readers or audiences saying “I did not see that coming, but I should have!” And those stories get better on repeat readings or viewings.
Although "Michael's Gambit" deserves all the praise it gets here, I want to give special mention to "Dance Dance Resolution" - which condensed into its first ten minutes what a lot of fans were worried the entire rest of the series would be.
I will say it pulled off the absolute best twist I've ever seen in the TV show because as much as I should have known that is the bad place I didn't till the last episode. I mean it's a Twilight zone episode plot.
Partially because they give many other plot twists to cover up the real twist. Elenor being accidently thrown to the Good Place is already such a subversion of expectations, we don't think there's another twist waiting to be revealed. And the entire first season is filled with plot twists, in every episode.
Rewatching season 1 is so weird knowing the twist too. The frozen yogurt, Eleanor's house, at some point Chidi is giving himself a stomach ache with indecision so Michael asks him if he wants to brainstorm on paper or a white board. When you know the signs are everywhere.
"Some great shows live too long that it becomes a bad one. - e.g. Walking Dead. Some are cut too short that their beauty prematurely dies - e.g. Game of Thrones. But some shows are just great, live the life it was suppose to live and stay in the viewers' hearts forever. - e.g. The Good Place." ~ Gautama Buddha (6th to 5th century BCE), probably...
It's not my favorite show, not even in my top 5 favorite sitcoms, but definitly within the best I've watched. It was consistent the whole way through, both in quality of the story and characterizations, gave a strong message without ever feeling like it was yelling it at us, told the story it wanted to tell and then ended (didn't drag itself out just for ratings), had good character arcs for everyone, gave us great relationships (both romantic and platonic), and dealt with deep topics while still being funny. That's a hell of a lot more than I can say about most shows, even some I personally like more.
I actually found two inconsistincies that really bothered me: 1. In the first episode, Chidi states that he's speaking French and The Good Place just translates for him. In later seasons, he apparently lives in Australia and DOES speak fluent english. 2. The whole show has a constant theme that being a good person also has to do with motivation. If your motivations are corrupt (say, out of self-preservation), then you won't get any more points. However, Doug is seen as like the example of an abzolutely amazing person, when his motivations are corrupt. This are very nit-picky things, I love this show and and I think it's really amazing :D
@@filo4854 For #1, he's speaking french because it's the language he feels most comfortable with, he always knew how to speak english, we see him speaking other languages on earth too. And #2, yeah. That's the point. Doug is initially set out by Michael as the golden standard for the points system. But as we learn how that system is flawed, we realize that even that golden standard is similarly corrupt. He's not even acting out of self preservation anymore, he's basically just purposely making himself depressed in a hopeless attempt to feel _something,_ and that he isn't even gonna go to the good place is the nail in the coffin for the system. Your premises are flawed, you say that doug is seen as the example of an amazing person when the whole point is that he's not and he won't go to the good place
@@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868 For Doug, it seemed they made it out for him to still be the golden standard, he just didn't get into the good place because of the complications of life (You can't do something good without also doing something bad.) The show never made it seem like Doug didn't get enough points because of his motivation, they made it clear that it was because of the poor footprint his great actions made.
@Filo they do address his motivation, by the time they get to the accountants they realize that even Doug cannot achieve the good place. Chidi speaks 5 languages fluently, but his mother tounge is French. So in his good place, he might choose to speak French. But while teaching in Australia, he would speak English.
It only took me a few episodes to realize it had to be the bad place, but I wanted to see how they revealed it. The experiment reboot and repeated failure is what made it work so well.
The season 1 twist caught me totally by surprise. It never even occurred to me that they might be in The Bad Place. The only thing I predicted correctly, was that after we knew they were in The Bad Place, I realised pretty quickly that no one was actually going to The Good Place and hadn't been for a very long time. All of the other reveals caught me completely by surprise.
I’m the same way, watched season one while taking a philosophy class and reading No Exit at the time so the twist was fairly obvious, but the reasoning behind it for each other character was a surprise.
From the jawdropping S1 finally, to a perfect paced 4 seasons show that never failed to make me laugh, to finally what I consider one of the best finales ever on TV, one of the best shows ever made.
The Good Place seems to be Michael Schurr's magnum opus. Unlike other shows he had a full control of the narrative. Like writing season plot lines a year ahead of time. To seeing it has reached its end. No studio middling extending it to 5 seasons. Just told the story he wanted and finished it.
It all makes sense. Im addicted to this writer. My top 3 shows of all time being the us office, parks and now the good place and you can see how his skill as a writer develop. I would argue each show building on the next.
If anyone likes the book Infinite Jest, there's an entire episode of Parks and Rec where almost every new character introduced is named after a character from the book
I started watching this series because I had my meal in front of me and needed to choose something on Netflix before the food got cold. I was hooked from the first episode. It's funny, clever, well-written and surprisingly deep for a US sitcom. I wish I hadn't binge-watched it as quickly as I did.
So I didn't know about Ted Danson's legacy and wasn't that fond of his character in the show at first, but damn he is the one I cried the hardest over his character resolution at the series finale.
The Good Place was the perfect show for me to watch in 2020. And in all honesty, it's the perfect show to watch this day and age. This was an awesome episode, but I think my favorite episode is probably Janets. Mostly cuz Janet is my favorite character!
Janet, same here. I love how pretty much every single character had character development. At first I was worried that the ending was going to be trash like every other show that started off strong.
Unfortunately, season ones twist was completely ruined for me by a friend. Not from him actually spoiling it, but from him going “there’s a twist at the end that you’ll never see coming”. I immediately took the biggest, most basic fact in the show, and went, sort of jokingly, “what is the good place actually the bad place or something” and he just fell silent lmao.
I didn't think the plot twist of season 1 was quite unexpected, but I also think that the twist itself was the important part. What I enjoyed was while knowing that there was a plausible possibility it was the Bad Place, there was also still the possibility of other things going on and more important how whatever twist would play out and how far it would be played out. That laugh from Michael was a perfect mood whiplash. And how he tore into everyone about why they deserved the Bad Place and how he set it up for altimate psychological torture and even placing a sea of strategically shaped red herrings.
The plot twist is one of the most important TV show moments. The original concept could NEVER go for 4 seasons, but that twist and the series of them later on, never let the show get stale.
This video has a perfect explanation as to why Michael’s character growth feels so natural; Michael has always loved humans, and he’s always wanted to make things better. His baseline motivations stays the same, it’s just what he’s fighting for that changed
I remember watching the first season as it aired thinking that it was just a typical run of the mill comedy. Then the minute the “this is the bad place” twist dropped, I realized that I was watching something so much more special.
While I loved all of this show, I think it had the best finale of any show ever. I walked away not sure if it was the happiest ending I’d ever seen or the saddest. I’m still not sure.
The office, b99 and the good place I’ve rewatched time and time again. However, this one is my favorite hands down. As soon as I finished the 4th season I played the first episode of the show; I’ve probably watched it like five times
In the season 1 finale the part where Michael laughs (@5:07), literally is one of the funniest moments in the whole show. His devilish laugh had me rewinding this part several times! xD
I’ve said for some time now that I would love to have a chat with Michael Schur over dinner some time, the fact that he’s played such a major role in The Office, Parks and Rec, B99 AND The Good Place makes me think he must be the most fascinating person to talk to
My comfort show! I love this video, I think you planned it pretty well of why it works. The bad place threat was a good season but nothing will beat the season 1 finally and how everything clicked in place for the viewer as well as the charaters
I gotta say, this show's characters are some of my favourite characters of all time. The whole story literally relying on their character development really gets you attached to them
This show is one of the most important shows to me. It got me into philosophy and now I’m about to get my BA in philosophy and I think it has one of the best series finales ever
It got me to take online classes in philosophy! I've always enjoy philosophy too but I was in my early 30s when s1 aired so not keen to return to university. Also my existentialist/nihilist brain is like why bother 😆
My wife had it figured out that it was the bad place halfway through the first season. I had already watched the first season so I knew it was coming but I had no clue until it happened the first time I watched it
Thank you for reminding me how incredible this show was. I loved it from the very first moment and spent the next four seasons laughing, crying, and doing my best not to binge watch so I could make it last. I know it couldn't go on forever, but I kinda wanted it to and I cried so much when Eleanor finally walked through the door. Ugh. So. Damn. Good.
@4:47, we see one of my Favorite Moments Ever! When Michael is mad that Eleanor figures out they're in the Bad Place, and Michael sits down and casually pushes the plant off the table, I lose it Every Time! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I don't know why that is so funny to me, but it is. Anyhoo, I love Nerdstalgic and LOVE this video!!!
This is my second-favorite show of all time. I agree 100% with this analysis. Two very profound things were said in this video. The goal of writing is to make people feel something. And Schur’s philosophy of nobody really achieves their goals totally alone. (I paraphrased.)
I remember thinking, "What a stretch, its gonna be embarrassing when she turns out to be wrong." When Eleanor said "This is The Bad Place." And i was genuinely so chocked because I thought she was reaching
If that's true, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY surprised... but I would still think they did a great job improvising. There are a few small and glossed over plot holes that would make way more sense if that was the case, but the fact that they were able to do SO WELL for the overall story of the next 3 seasons was great.
From episode 1 I suspected the twist, but as the season went on I doubted. When the twist actually revealed itself it was as much a surprise as it was satisfying. It was earned.
I feel lucky that i did not do the usual and google spoilers or something about things i watch/play for this one. I was so surprised, yet made so much sense.
My favorite layer of expectations subversion is the way that the show let the audiences believe that crazy coincidences antagonizing the protagonists (like those 2 marriage counselors showing up in the lockdown episode) were just a part of sitcom writing conventions, rather than being the work of in-universe bad actors pulling the strings. Speaking of, if Michael didn't want humans figuring out his Bad Place, he shouldn't have recruited Veronica Mars.
In my humble opinion, this is the best show ever produced. Every single bit of it is done to perfection, the casting is amazing, the comedy is hilarious, the plot is very intriguing, the characters are well rounded and constantly evolving. And the most important part of every show, the finish. There are many shows I enjoy.. How I Met Your Mother and Brooklyn Nine Nine are 2 of my faves, but both have a problem, a bad last season . I will rewatch both shows happily but when I get to the last season ... It's less fun. The Good Place managed to be incredible up to its last moment. Well done Michael Schur.. You created a masterpiece.
I've watched it three times, I've loved it and it's been my favorite series since the first time, yet somehow you managed to make me love it even more, so thank you
What really helped the season 1 twist was Michael was always an antagonist to the viewer, we just didn't know the correct context. Through the season, he's effectively the danger, the thing we have to be weary of because getting found out sends Elanor to the bad place. We trust him at his word not only because the show doesn't give us reason to distrust, but because it makes the episode 1 premise make sense. Become a good person to stay in the good place, and avoiding Michael's attention as much as possible. The shift is very subtle because our view it him as an antagonist only grows as we understand he's fundamentally against them.
“Ya basic. You’re absolutely devastated right now” delivered by Michael has to be one of my favourite moments in a perfect show!
It implies that he was devastated when Eleanor said it to him in season 1 too
@@PassMeDownJeans noooo, I think Micheal realllyyy needed to learn about the concept of death before being truly devastated by “Ya basic.”
Me2 me2 me2
“Bees! Bees! Bees! Bees!”
“What echos of this former self await me here?”
The season 1 ending is the perfect example of a good twist, changing the meaning of everything that happened before while still making sense.
I fully agree. It went from an pretty okay sitcom about afterlife hijinx to "holy fork, everyone needs to watch this!". I watched S1 by myself at first, then again with my gf who didn't know the twist. It was like watching someone find out Darth Vader is Luke's father. Incredible
@@meim1190 t
This twist was everywhere! So many of the channels I'm subscribed to kept spoiling it to me that I decided to watch it for myself. Realized after the final episode that this show is one of the best sitcoms PERIOD!!!
The twist made everything before it make more sense
The twist was the culmination of a whole series worth of great writing. Ted and Kristen knew the twist from the beginning and collaborated with the writers to ensure that the foundation they laid worked with the long term storyline.
This has my favourite series finale of anything ever. Every plot line was wrapped up with no additional questions, with everything answered in a really satisfying way. I cried so much at the final episode in such a happy way.
Exactly. And every character has some sort of ending.
me too i LOVED it but everyone i’ve spoke to who watxhed it was unsatisfying but i think it’s my fav ending to a show
I was sad because it ended.
Ngl it was one of my least favorite finales ever.
@@katherinenotyou23 why? I believe they ended it perfectly while it wasn't super exciting it really fit with the show and in my opinion was an amazing way to end it /gen
I love this show and it's message about how being a good person isn't a finite position and that aslong as you're working on better yourself than your in the right direction. It requires a daily comment to being on. When you rewatch the show you can easily see the pieces of the twist
Read "How to be perfect" it's a book written by the same writer of the show (the audio book has collaboration with the cast of the good place).
yh ik this is out of context but superman is my fav hero because of this context he shows how to be a good person so this show reflecting superman made me so happy and is one of my favorite shows
@@kyonru TY for that book suggestion! I had no idea Michael Shur had even made a book and I am a huge fan of The Good Place so I will definitely give it a read
@@lightsaber7863 you should watch superman and lois
@@kyonru i just finished the book yesterday - it was so AMAZING
I remember getting to the last episode of season 1 and thinking, "this show ran for 4 seasons? How can they drag this story out for that long? AND THEN THE TWIST I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT TO IMAGINE HAPPENED
I remember thinking something along the lines of that at the end of every season: "This was great, but how can they go on from here?" And yet they did and it was fantastic.
Same! I think the fact that it lasted for 4 seasons was perfect, and even though more would've been nice I also think more seasons would ruin the storyline/be unnecessary
@@hayleywilliamscroc True, specially when we remember that the last season gave us the message that what makes something special is the end of it, so was the show.
Dude, same.
Looking back it's so wild that I didn't see it coming. Especially wild that the characters didn't (or at least Chidi, maybe Tahani). Like, wouldn't they think to be critical of the people at the head of the system? Isn't Chidi familiar with moral anti-realism? Why would he blindly accept such an objectively framed moral system (that condemns the vast majority of humanity to eternal torment)? I mean, he is kinda preoccupied and probably doesn't have the decisive energy to process that but it's ludicrous to me that he wouldn't even question it a little bit until Eleanor figures it out
Michael’s evil laugh in the season 1 finale after Eleanor figured out that they were in the bad place all along is the best evil laugh I have ever heard. Ted Danson’s performance during that entire scene (and honestly the entire show) deserves so many awards
LITERALLY. that laugh chilled me to the bone when i first heard it, absolutely phenomenal
LITERALLY. that laugh chilled me to the bone when i first heard it, absolutely phenomenal
@@Wepawnet Imagine copying and pasting the reply made right before yours...
Danson knocking over that plant like an evil cat deserved an award.
Yass!
Ted Danson is just a treasure
And that was improvised! I would've laughed so hard and ruin the scene 😆
@@laluenbaires what! It was improvised? I tip my hat to you Ted Danson.
666th like!! I am the bad place
I like that Schurr seems to have grown in the way that he knows when a show needs to end and wont drag it out like the office
Lol this comment makes it seem like Mike Schur was responsible for the Office having 9 seasons
Didn't Mike Schurr stop writing for The Office after its fifth season?
That wasn’t his fault, it was (probably) Greg Berlanti’s.
@@Gemnist98 I think you mean Greg Daniels.
I thought after season 4?
This show is as perfect as television gets in my opinion. Two years after I watched it for the first time it's still a show I re-watch constantly but also never stop thinking about
Honestly, a perfect show that just got more interesting as each season was progressed. While watching the show, I was worried they were going to ruin the ending like they do most every other show I say is perfect. No biasis I think this is thee most complete show I have ever watched.
Same here!
@@kimchigamez1394 seriously, one of my favorite endings
Agreed. It's just so well paced, developed and engaging. Even on rewatches, it never gets old or boring.
Me too! I watched it two years ago for the first time, and I still rewatch it to this day cause its so good. Its got to a point where certain things in my daily life remind me of the show lol. I think I quote the good place more than any series tbh :)
I think the good place is still the best modern day tv comedy. It was such a breath of fresh air out of so many comedies that fail these days.
Most sitcom "friends" are horrible to each other. This sitcom, has friends that are supposed to be horrible to each other but are the the opposite by shows end. Where as other sitcoms the characters begin and end as horrible people.
You missed a small detail, at the beginning of Episode 1 after Eleanor opens her eyes we see a message on the wall that says "Welcome! Everything is fine." while in the last scene of Episode 13 the message on the wall is "Welcome! Everything is great!". So not just a different final word but also a second exclamation point has been added. I don't know the significance of this beyond it being the first indication that Michael has tweaked the experiment the second time but it's a nice subtle change.
It may have been in the podcast but I can't remember at this point. I believe it was to reflect Michael's headspace going into the second reboot. His plan for the four has been totally railroaded and while he was in risky territory before, he's on thin fucking ice now that they have seen just how unpredictable the humans can be. Basically, he knows he's a dead man/demon walking if he screws up and the new greeting hints at him overcompensating. He's trying to reassure himself and everyone else that he's got it all under control and everything is not just fine, it's "great!"
Take another read of that message and see if you don't imagine it in a higher, strained register that only thinly veils sheer panic ;)
@@papergirl3851 Such a great analysis
@@papergirl3851 "derailed". If the plan was railroaded then it would be still on track. But, yes, it's a brilliant little detail. There's a lot of nice details in the set dressing throughout the series.
He tries out several others as well. I think we see 4 or 5 different versions.
One thing my siblings still tease me about to this day, when the reveal first happened, I didn't believe it. When Michael started laughing and insulting Eleanor and even when "Vicky" left in a huff, I thought they were pretending to be in the Bad Place to get Shawn to leave. For some reason. It took me until the S2 premiere to be fully convinced.
Same here honestly, I didn't believe it either until they reset and I was thoroughly confused
Michael's evil laugh aside, what cemented for most of us would be the scenes where Michael explains to the other demons how he can get 4 people to torture each other
The Good Place is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time, and even if it's not my absolute favorite, I still recognize it as practically perfect. Everything from the character's connections to each other and the audience, to the beautiful messages the writers were able to convey naturally, there's really no show like it, and there likely never will be again. This show just existing is a blessing.
Out of curiosity what is your favorite?
I also would like to know your favorite
@@pandastical9205 New Girl actually. They're both equally fantastic, but New Girl hit emotional beats that were more significant to me personally.
Exactly well said, You wrote this more perfect than my previous comment. "Even if its not my absolute favorite" That's how I feel, the show was absolute a perfect master peice.
@@mo_venegas not too related, but Mike Schur's wife jj Philbin is actually a producer of New Girl! :D
Michael’s evil laugh at the reveal is absolutely perfect
Only one that matches is the lil father daughter laugh he and Eleanor get
The ending of The Good Place is one of my favorite endings of any show I've seen. Unexpectedly but perfectly heartfelt.
@@legospaceman4978 😭
Naw, suicide as the end of everything is a really sad way to end the show
@@josh_final It's not suicide. The characters have been already dead from the very first episode. It is simply just moving on.
@@rkah6187 the afterlife is still a life
On Michael's "smug face and dark eyes".... one rewatch bonus in the very first episode is when he's just about to tell Eleanor she's in the Good Place, he pauses and smirks, and the smirk now comes off as so utterly malevolent that I can't believe I wasn't suspicious first time around.
Seriously Ted Danson gets hailed as a great comedic actor all the time, but he's just a great actor without adjectives. I'd love to see him do some straight dramatic work.
@@tjenadonn6158hey do say that comedy is the hardest form of acting to get good at and if you are, then every other type of acting is easier
This show absolutely hooked me right away with its opening scene and stayed consistently good for the entire series. I honestly don't think any show has done that for me before.
Same, usually it either starts good than starts to get boring and the ending sucks.
I just finished watching it three days ago and I feel kinda home sick for the Good Place, if that makes sense. The whole serie felt like a warm bath to me and it's been a while that I enjoyed something so thoroughly ❤️
@@jonnnnniej Me too. Post show/series depression :( I am so sad
Michael's evil laugh was what really sold me on the twist. It was just so perfectly delivered that I immediately realised that he had been playing with them all along and this really was The Bad Place. It's a great moment in a great show.
a huge influence for the good place is called "no exit," a play written by famed existentialist philosopher jean-paul sartre. the play is about 3 characters who find themselves in hell, and at the end realize that hell is not fiery pits of lava or torture devices, but rather other people. this is basically what michael was doing in s1: using humans as each other's own hell. if you're interested in this show, I highly recommend that you read this fantastic play. after i read it, seeing its influence on the good place was a really cool thing to see.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe that play was also the basis for the Twilight Zone episode "Four Characters in Search of an Exit". I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that it was inspired by the play "No Exit".
I only vaguely remember the play. Although I do remember:
"To live without eyelids"
"To live, did you say?"
We did no exit in my final semester of my english degree and I was just sitting there thinking "good place good place good place"
@@cScottDI’m late but actually the title and I think the screenplay were inspired by the play “6 Characters in Search of an Author” by Luigi Pirandello performed in 1921. It’s a very interesting play! A playwright is doing rehearsal for a play he’s written, in the middle of the rehearsal 6 characters walk onto the stage (6 characters from another unfinished play he’s written) and Luigi can’t finish his current play until he finishes the story of those 6 characters
I was so impressed with how the show ended. It's rare to see a show that actually ends when it should and doesn't try to stretch it out.
Anything in the universe can be up to 104% perfect. That's how we got The Good Place.
nice reference
When Michael did that evil laugh, I just felt it in my stomach. I almost felt panicky about it, because I had thought Michael was so endearing and likeable, and suddenly he's a demon. On a rewatch, I found quite a few hints of it. For instance, Michael told Chidi his doctorate thesis, his life's work, was basically worthless. When Michael prepares to say what the mistake in the neighborhood is, he almost turns to Eleanor, and then turns away and says "me" instead.
As we learn more about the system, there's no way they would have confused Jason with Jianyu the monk, or "real" Eleanor with "fake" Eleanor. But since we knew so little about it in season 1, it seemed more feasible.
He actually kicked a puppy into the sun, and most of us still didn't have a clue 😅
I like how when they get to the actual good place too, they discovered that eternity stretched before them removed all meaning from having goals. So the people who were in the good place where suffering just as much as the people in the bad place if not more because in the good place they lose who they are.
i LOVE the good place. this show is honestly so special and i don’t think it gets the credit it deserves. it’s so well written, the performances are ALWAYS on point, the humor always works, the characters are insanely compelling, even characters that appear in a few episodes i still remember vividly and adore them. it’s honestly just excellent, & so so much fun to watch.
My absolute favorite show. I could watch 100 hours of people analyze it
When I started watching it I was like “oh okay it’s basically gonna be Eleanor getting better and trying to hide that she doesn’t belong in new ways. I get it” and then the twist happened and I was like holy mother forking shirt balls
This is one of my favorite shows! It's so perfectly written for everything that it promised. Schur's a genius.
It's really good to see this peak of a show getting some love. It's the philosophical comedy that truly creates moments of self reflection and character connections with the audience.
When recommending The Good Place, I explain to people that it’s not a sitcom. I tell them it’s a long-form story about life, death and ethics that happens to be absurdly funny, heartfelt and genuinely heartbreaking at times.
But it’s ALSO a sitcom. And the fact that it is both is what makes it not good, but great.
@@Gemnist98 Yes, but I’ve found it’s helpful (when recommending it to others) to play down the sitcom descriptor because lots of people are so used to the normal sitcom formula that they can be thrown off by how Good Place’s story works.
For instance, if I recommend Parks and Rec, I often tell people to skip the first “season” because the tone is way different than the rest of the show and the start of the 2nd season does a good job of establishing the setting and characters. Parks and Rec is great but much closer to a normal sitcom formula than Good Place.
Whereas Good Place MUST be watched from the very start because it is 100% long-form storytelling so it had a lot of structural differences compared to often self-contained sitcom episodes.
I think it's a dramedy personally. I never saw it as a sitcom since for me sitcoms
stopped being funny since The King of Queens first aired. It is equal parts drama
and comedy just like MASH. The Good Place is actually funny therefore it's not a sitcom.
I describe it as a "monster of the week" show, except the monster is a different viewpoint or tenet of philosophy.
@@rustygray5058 this!
I honestly don't think I'm ever going to really get over this show ending. Hearing those few little notes that let us know A NEW EPISODE OF THE GOOD PLACE WAS STARTING was an honest thrill, it gave me goosebumps, I was that excited. Michael is my favorite fictional character of all time, and his moment of confirmation when we knew for sure what side he was actually on (I was so scared for you guys! You're my friends and I wanted to save you!) brought me to the verge of tears of relief. I was able to appreciate the cleverness of the big season 1 twist, but honestly it horrified me to lose the Michael I already loved.
I'm not really going anywhere with this, I just like to talk about loving the Good Place.
This is one of those rare perfect shows. I laughed for four seasons, thought about lots of cool smarty pants stuff along the way, and cried buckets during the finale. That's what a show should deliver. Imagine if _LOST_ was written by people who had a complete idea and the will to execute it. Imagine if the last two seasons of _Game of Thrones_ had been written by people who _could_ write. Lots of shows come close, they show promise, but ultimately don't deliver in the final analysis. _The Good Place_ was just solid from start to finish, and I am still in awe of the achievement.
I finished rewatching this show MERE MINUTES ago. This is insane.
My fave is when Jason figures it out and Michael is super annoyed by it 🤣
Jason! Jason figured it out? Oh, this is a real low.
Ironically, Jason does kinda figure it out before Eleanor in season 1 and we just go "right Jason, you're so dumb lol"
I love how because of the next seasons being planned ahead it's so satisfying to find clues or references that were there all long that you just brush off as something irrelevant that's just there as a joke on the first viewing, only to remember that it was actually mentioned seasons before becoming relevant
Michael’s redemption arc is very organic and one of the best ever written. The best stories that subvert expectations have readers or audiences saying “I did not see that coming, but I should have!” And those stories get better on repeat readings or viewings.
Although "Michael's Gambit" deserves all the praise it gets here, I want to give special mention to "Dance Dance Resolution" - which condensed into its first ten minutes what a lot of fans were worried the entire rest of the series would be.
I will say it pulled off the absolute best twist I've ever seen in the TV show because as much as I should have known that is the bad place I didn't till the last episode. I mean it's a Twilight zone episode plot.
Partially because they give many other plot twists to cover up the real twist. Elenor being accidently thrown to the Good Place is already such a subversion of expectations, we don't think there's another twist waiting to be revealed. And the entire first season is filled with plot twists, in every episode.
and even if you knew the twist it didn’t ruin the show
Then we learn that constant happiness leads to a problematic good place. So happy they knew the problem immediately as they lived it.
Rewatching season 1 is so weird knowing the twist too. The frozen yogurt, Eleanor's house, at some point Chidi is giving himself a stomach ache with indecision so Michael asks him if he wants to brainstorm on paper or a white board. When you know the signs are everywhere.
Just chiming in to say everything everywhere absolutely needs more D'Arcy Carden.
Thank you.
"Some great shows live too long that it becomes a bad one. - e.g. Walking Dead.
Some are cut too short that their beauty prematurely dies - e.g. Game of Thrones.
But some shows are just great, live the life it was suppose to live and stay in the viewers' hearts forever. - e.g. The Good Place."
~ Gautama Buddha (6th to 5th century BCE), probably...
It's not my favorite show, not even in my top 5 favorite sitcoms, but definitly within the best I've watched. It was consistent the whole way through, both in quality of the story and characterizations, gave a strong message without ever feeling like it was yelling it at us, told the story it wanted to tell and then ended (didn't drag itself out just for ratings), had good character arcs for everyone, gave us great relationships (both romantic and platonic), and dealt with deep topics while still being funny. That's a hell of a lot more than I can say about most shows, even some I personally like more.
I actually found two inconsistincies that really bothered me:
1. In the first episode, Chidi states that he's speaking French and The Good Place just translates for him. In later seasons, he apparently lives in Australia and DOES speak fluent english.
2. The whole show has a constant theme that being a good person also has to do with motivation. If your motivations are corrupt (say, out of self-preservation), then you won't get any more points. However, Doug is seen as like the example of an abzolutely amazing person, when his motivations are corrupt.
This are very nit-picky things, I love this show and and I think it's really amazing :D
@@filo4854 For #1, he's speaking french because it's the language he feels most comfortable with, he always knew how to speak english, we see him speaking other languages on earth too.
And #2, yeah. That's the point. Doug is initially set out by Michael as the golden standard for the points system. But as we learn how that system is flawed, we realize that even that golden standard is similarly corrupt. He's not even acting out of self preservation anymore, he's basically just purposely making himself depressed in a hopeless attempt to feel _something,_ and that he isn't even gonna go to the good place is the nail in the coffin for the system.
Your premises are flawed, you say that doug is seen as the example of an amazing person when the whole point is that he's not and he won't go to the good place
@@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868
For Doug, it seemed they made it out for him to still be the golden standard, he just didn't get into the good place because of the complications of life (You can't do something good without also doing something bad.) The show never made it seem like Doug didn't get enough points because of his motivation, they made it clear that it was because of the poor footprint his great actions made.
@Filo they do address his motivation, by the time they get to the accountants they realize that even Doug cannot achieve the good place.
Chidi speaks 5 languages fluently, but his mother tounge is French. So in his good place, he might choose to speak French. But while teaching in Australia, he would speak English.
The Good Place is such a truly incredible and unique show. I'd love to see a video looking at the overall series finale
It only took me a few episodes to realize it had to be the bad place, but I wanted to see how they revealed it. The experiment reboot and repeated failure is what made it work so well.
The season 1 twist caught me totally by surprise. It never even occurred to me that they might be in The Bad Place. The only thing I predicted correctly, was that after we knew they were in The Bad Place, I realised pretty quickly that no one was actually going to The Good Place and hadn't been for a very long time. All of the other reveals caught me completely by surprise.
I’m the same way, watched season one while taking a philosophy class and reading No Exit at the time so the twist was fairly obvious, but the reasoning behind it for each other character was a surprise.
From the jawdropping S1 finally, to a perfect paced 4 seasons show that never failed to make me laugh, to finally what I consider one of the best finales ever on TV, one of the best shows ever made.
The Good Place seems to be Michael Schurr's magnum opus. Unlike other shows he had a full control of the narrative. Like writing season plot lines a year ahead of time. To seeing it has reached its end. No studio middling extending it to 5 seasons. Just told the story he wanted and finished it.
One of my favorite TV shows of all time. Michael Schur is truly one of the best comedy writers working today.
It all makes sense. Im addicted to this writer. My top 3 shows of all time being the us office, parks and now the good place and you can see how his skill as a writer develop. I would argue each show building on the next.
If anyone likes the book Infinite Jest, there's an entire episode of Parks and Rec where almost every new character introduced is named after a character from the book
5.17, Partridge. Yeah, great episode.
I started watching this series because I had my meal in front of me and needed to choose something on Netflix before the food got cold. I was hooked from the first episode. It's funny, clever, well-written and surprisingly deep for a US sitcom. I wish I hadn't binge-watched it as quickly as I did.
This show fills me with so much nostalgia while being so deep. I hope it continues to age well
So I didn't know about Ted Danson's legacy and wasn't that fond of his character in the show at first, but damn he is the one I cried the hardest over his character resolution at the series finale.
Take it sleazy
@@rustygray5058 dont- 😭
Recently just finished re-watching the show and I'm so glad you made a video about it. Definitely my favorite piece of media I have come across
The Good Place was the perfect show for me to watch in 2020. And in all honesty, it's the perfect show to watch this day and age. This was an awesome episode, but I think my favorite episode is probably Janets. Mostly cuz Janet is my favorite character!
Janet, same here. I love how pretty much every single character had character development. At first I was worried that the ending was going to be trash like every other show that started off strong.
Disco Janet
Unfortunately, season ones twist was completely ruined for me by a friend. Not from him actually spoiling it, but from him going “there’s a twist at the end that you’ll never see coming”. I immediately took the biggest, most basic fact in the show, and went, sort of jokingly, “what is the good place actually the bad place or something” and he just fell silent lmao.
I didn't think the plot twist of season 1 was quite unexpected, but I also think that the twist itself was the important part.
What I enjoyed was while knowing that there was a plausible possibility it was the Bad Place, there was also still the possibility of other things going on and more important how whatever twist would play out and how far it would be played out.
That laugh from Michael was a perfect mood whiplash.
And how he tore into everyone about why they deserved the Bad Place and how he set it up for altimate psychological torture and even placing a sea of strategically shaped red herrings.
The plot twist is one of the most important TV show moments. The original concept could NEVER go for 4 seasons, but that twist and the series of them later on, never let the show get stale.
i love this show, i wish there was more of it but the ending was perfect. Something hard to find in television shows
This video has a perfect explanation as to why Michael’s character growth feels so natural; Michael has always loved humans, and he’s always wanted to make things better. His baseline motivations stays the same, it’s just what he’s fighting for that changed
As much as i hate that this amazing show ended, i would really hate to see it drag out for 9 seasons unnecessarily
I love that there's so many UA-cam videos analyzing this fantastic show
I remember watching the first season as it aired thinking that it was just a typical run of the mill comedy.
Then the minute the “this is the bad place” twist dropped, I realized that I was watching something so much more special.
While I loved all of this show, I think it had the best finale of any show ever. I walked away not sure if it was the happiest ending I’d ever seen or the saddest. I’m still not sure.
The office, b99 and the good place I’ve rewatched time and time again. However, this one is my favorite hands down. As soon as I finished the 4th season I played the first episode of the show; I’ve probably watched it like five times
My wife figured out the plot twist on episode 1. Her reasoning, "what kind of heaven doesn't have gelato!?"
In the season 1 finale the part where Michael laughs (@5:07), literally is one of the funniest moments in the whole show. His devilish laugh had me rewinding this part several times! xD
I’ve said for some time now that I would love to have a chat with Michael Schur over dinner some time, the fact that he’s played such a major role in The Office, Parks and Rec, B99 AND The Good Place makes me think he must be the most fascinating person to talk to
comfort show honestly. i think about this show constantly , it’s just so incredible
My comfort show! I love this video, I think you planned it pretty well of why it works. The bad place threat was a good season but nothing will beat the season 1 finally and how everything clicked in place for the viewer as well as the charaters
I gotta say, this show's characters are some of my favourite characters of all time. The whole story literally relying on their character development really gets you attached to them
This show is one of the most important shows to me. It got me into philosophy and now I’m about to get my BA in philosophy and I think it has one of the best series finales ever
It got me to take online classes in philosophy! I've always enjoy philosophy too but I was in my early 30s when s1 aired so not keen to return to university. Also my existentialist/nihilist brain is like why bother 😆
that laugh at 5:08 actually shocked me the first time I saw this show, I truly. never saw it coming, it's simply genius
The Good Place is a phenomenal piece of television - one of the best shows in recent memory.
Take it sleazy!
This is absolutely my favorite show. I love the message about being a better person.
My wife had it figured out that it was the bad place halfway through the first season. I had already watched the first season so I knew it was coming but I had no clue until it happened the first time I watched it
this break down of this literally made me break down holy shit this was so beautiful and well said
Sweet, I have been wanting to see y'all cover the Good Place. I asked for it in your million sub post.
Perfectly good explanation of the Good Place. One of my top ten shows of all times
The good place has to be one of my favorite TV shows of all time. You pretty much summed up majority of why I love this show so much. Great job!
Thank you for reminding me how incredible this show was. I loved it from the very first moment and spent the next four seasons laughing, crying, and doing my best not to binge watch so I could make it last. I know it couldn't go on forever, but I kinda wanted it to and I cried so much when Eleanor finally walked through the door. Ugh. So. Damn. Good.
@4:47, we see one of my Favorite Moments Ever! When Michael is mad that Eleanor figures out they're in the Bad Place, and Michael sits down and casually pushes the plant off the table, I lose it Every Time! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I don't know why that is so funny to me, but it is. Anyhoo, I love Nerdstalgic and LOVE this video!!!
This is my second-favorite show of all time. I agree 100% with this analysis. Two very profound things were said in this video. The goal of writing is to make people feel something. And Schur’s philosophy of nobody really achieves their goals totally alone. (I paraphrased.)
If I could go back in time and watch any season finale for the first time again, it would absolutely be this one.
YES same I wish I could
I remember thinking, "What a stretch, its gonna be embarrassing when she turns out to be wrong." When Eleanor said "This is The Bad Place." And i was genuinely so chocked because I thought she was reaching
I’ll admit, I hated the season 1 finale reveal at first, but upon rewatching it, I realized how genius it was.
I remember hearing somewhere that the writers didn’t have a plan for the second season at the end of the first
If that's true, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY surprised... but I would still think they did a great job improvising.
There are a few small and glossed over plot holes that would make way more sense if that was the case, but the fact that they were able to do SO WELL for the overall story of the next 3 seasons was great.
This show is literally the only show to ever get me to cry 😭
Michael is like a reverse Walter White..One goes from bad to good and other goes from good to bad
I've watched the show 5 or 6 times now, and I always spend all of season 1 going "How did I not know? It was so obvious."
From episode 1 I suspected the twist, but as the season went on I doubted. When the twist actually revealed itself it was as much a surprise as it was satisfying. It was earned.
There are no words about how good this show is. I saw it last year and will definitelly watch again someday.
I feel lucky that i did not do the usual and google spoilers or something about things i watch/play for this one. I was so surprised, yet made so much sense.
My favorite layer of expectations subversion is the way that the show let the audiences believe that crazy coincidences antagonizing the protagonists (like those 2 marriage counselors showing up in the lockdown episode) were just a part of sitcom writing conventions, rather than being the work of in-universe bad actors pulling the strings.
Speaking of, if Michael didn't want humans figuring out his Bad Place, he shouldn't have recruited Veronica Mars.
I was told by my friend how it gets figured out and man, I STILL had goosebumps and verbally went "woah" at the reveal lol
In my humble opinion, this is the best show ever produced. Every single bit of it is done to perfection, the casting is amazing, the comedy is hilarious, the plot is very intriguing, the characters are well rounded and constantly evolving. And the most important part of every show, the finish. There are many shows I enjoy.. How I Met Your Mother and Brooklyn Nine Nine are 2 of my faves, but both have a problem, a bad last season . I will rewatch both shows happily but when I get to the last season ... It's less fun. The Good Place managed to be incredible up to its last moment. Well done Michael Schur.. You created a masterpiece.
This show should be on the list of media to be preserved, it is that good
I've watched it three times, I've loved it and it's been my favorite series since the first time, yet somehow you managed to make me love it even more, so thank you
What really helped the season 1 twist was Michael was always an antagonist to the viewer, we just didn't know the correct context. Through the season, he's effectively the danger, the thing we have to be weary of because getting found out sends Elanor to the bad place. We trust him at his word not only because the show doesn't give us reason to distrust, but because it makes the episode 1 premise make sense. Become a good person to stay in the good place, and avoiding Michael's attention as much as possible. The shift is very subtle because our view it him as an antagonist only grows as we understand he's fundamentally against them.
The Good Place is THE perfect show from start to finish
This was suuuch a good show!
Damn now I want to watch it again
It was such a good show. Thanks for the nostalgia but now I miss it :(